Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1887-11-05

Frequently Cause Death.
Among the investigations and discover
ies Of modern science there Is perhaps no
subject Of more interest or lar reaching
Importance in q general as well Is N Il
nedic0-legal sense, than that Of ptCCalncs,
OF that series Of newly discovered polSonS
-cadayeric alaal0id5-whicA are evolved
from the decomposition Of animal tissue.
Trancesci Sclnai, Of B0Ulogne, in 1850
who was perhaps tho first to discover, or
at least to publish an intelligent account
Of these P9iSo2s-applicd TO them the tcrin
"Dtomainc," as indicating that they
were Of cadavcric origin. i. G.,
arising from tie decomposition or
putrcscence Of animal tissues. More re-
cent investigations, however, seem to
prove that they may also be developed as
81 result Of normal tissue change in the
living animal, or even from the deicc,a or
excTlt.oGs Of the living organism The
attention Of the studiOus public has been
in the past few years attracted to this
subject with justidable curiosity and in
tercst. The reason for this is that the
ptOrlCircS 1t the same time that they ere
such deadly po.aons, arc naturally Gcycl-
oDed il the cadaycr or dead body, or in
any dead tissue in about foTty-ciSht hours
after death. and further, that upon anGly-
SIS they give the same reactions as do the
most powerful al5aloidGl vcgctal poisors.
Since these facts became known they
have been eagerly seized UDon and used
effectively by clever lawyers il the de-
fcn5c of their Clients il murder trials both
IL this country and England.
It IS impossible by any known chemical
processes TO definitely determine these
rtomaine poisons in mcdico-egal cases OF
poisoning. for instance, as they give, IS
before stated, the same reactions Of tests
as are given by the principal and most
powerful veGetal GliIaloids. One can
readily imagine q case in point that might
arise at any time as q test mediCO-lcgal
case OF murder or suspected murder by
poisoning and in which might be involved
the gJil1 or inEOcensc, the life OF death Of
the accused. For if after forty-eight
hours or tucreab0uts subsequent to death
we are able 10 evolve from the tissues or
organs Of the corpse q poison that will
answer to ali he tests OF the main vcTetal
rll-QlCids, and which has been evolved il
JEc tissues of thc natural results OF de-
composition, We have surely lost our cri-
tariOn aud the tests are Of no avail. Con
vCracly, it is patent to every one what q
wide Held this leaves open for the hidcoUs
work Of tho criminal poisouer, and the al
most certainty Of his escape from justice.
Tic ChemiCa! characteristics Of these
ptomaincs so far known are that they
occur generally nnorphous in form and
alkaline il reaction, they arc unstable and
volatile or easily alterable: that they form
crystalline salts with acids. When eX-
posed 10 the air and allowed to oXydizc
from the basic form they emit very dis
agreeable cadaycroUs or putre5ccnt cdOrs;
but in their combination with acids form
icC salts their CdOry are generally changed,
resembling that of the orange, violet and
musk
Upon the exhibition Of q poisonous dose
generally injected under thc'skin the fol
lowing toxic symptoms rapidly casue:
DilatioA Of the pupils, muscular relaXa-
tioH and Nacriditv. with loss of muscular
coau&C1ility and cutaueous scnsibiiijy,
disturbance Of the hearts action, paralysis
of the hinder or lower eNtromities and
commissions. They possess much the same
poisonous action rs ulusc&rin and Ctropin
They al! have q strong power Of reducing
potash fcIT3cyanidc and answer to the
same color tests Is DO the vegetable aka
loids, such IS Inorphia, atrOpla, hyOscya-
mine aconitinc Gigit&line, etc.
These poi5Cns are found under the fol-
lowing conditions:
First-As constituents Of normal juices
or tissues, they occur in human and AM
nal saliva, in snake poison. which differs
from human saliva only in the intensity
OF its strength and action, and in normal
Is well rs abnormal urine. Several Of the
rtoma.uc5 hare been obtained from these
three sources Icy different chemists, par
ticalarlv Garticr, Of France.
SacOrd.-Thcy OcCJr in constituents 81
the urine OF patients suffering from pro
gressiyc paralysis. interstitial pneumonia,
+ abdominal typhug fever, IL tctaEus -
lockiaw and in military fever, as proven by
recent observations Of Sclni.
Thir,.-Thcy are developed largely in
bodies or dead organic matter as a product
% decomposition. These facts have been
;bunGanUy oorroOCrated by different oh.
servers.
The symptoms OF irritation Of stomach
and bowels, after reaching q toxic chG-ac-
ter. resulting from the iugcstion of bad
foods and meats, sIrs0gcs, state fish,
cream puffs and the like, are doubtless
. due 10 the gems ration Of these poisCQs in
. the f4Vor2 Die conditions Tor their develop
mcnt fannd il tie aiimentGry canal. The
p:onaine alGGloid called tyr0tCZic0n.
fauad il stale cream pulfs, which has in
q Number &C cases IL this city caused very
alcrminr symptoms aad death, is dcycI-
o~cJ from tGe decomposition e The c,scil
o. the cream or milk or butter used in
making the cream rutT. and these doubt
less coming in their turn from swirl fed
cows.
These Investigations have opened up 4
lc.d forsciantinc research that C2nnoo fail
10 have a marked effect upon the general
health of every civilized community. II
requires 10 GREAT amount Of perspicacjty
t. observe that our nigh figure Of mortal
itY. particularly among the children, in
the sumrlcr months may be. and undoubt-
eddy is. due to the development Of enc or
more Of tbs series Of pt0Caine poisons in
the prepared foods ana the milk supplied
to bottle fed irflnts, which may have come
from diseased and swill fed animals; 10
say nothing Of the thousand ;ua enc
sources Of similar poisoning by stale or So
called prepared or UotteI meats, llsh.
game, cheese, sGu-a,Cs and the like, and
T il the pastries OF the character OF cream
pufls. etc. that epGanger the lie Of an
lt.-Hhiladllp!liG Times.
= Conplexionist.
One Of t1c newest occupations upon